TECHNOLOGY
1. ” Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination. ” — Daniel Bell
2. ” Animals have come to mean so much in our lives. We live in a fragmented and disconnected culture. Politics are ugly, religion is struggling, technology is stressful, and the economy is unfortunate. What’s one thing that we have in our lives that we can depend on? A dog or a cat loving us unconditionally, every day, very faithfully. ” — Jon Katz
3. ” Millennials, and the generations that follow, are shaping technology. This generation has grown up with computing in the palm of their hands. They are more socially and globally connected through mobile Internet devices than any prior generation. And they don’t question; they just learn. ” — Brad D. Smith
4. ” Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important. ” — Bill Gates
5. ” Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them. ” — Steve Jobs
This expository essay was written by me:
Our ability to harness technology has changed the way we have lived since the existence of our earliest ancestors; and has only developed via increased experience in the ‘know-how’. In earlier times, communities based their technology on immediate survival needs. Stone cutting tools such as cleavers were vital, campfires necessary and shelters created for warmth and to keep out predators.
Our science, in the increased experience of the ‘know-how’ has allowed us to drastically progress as civilisation in the years since, with greater focus placed upon decreasing the intensity of manual labour and acquiring more luxurious comforts. Feeling a little hot? Turn on the air- conditioner. Feeling hungry? Just head down to your local McDonalds. Feeling a little lost in life? Just make sure you keep working and pay your taxes.
Armed with high-tech gadgets, we set about to create larger and brighter cities where each of us trade on an abstract item called ‘money’. Whilst it is a means of providing shelter and protecting us from large predators, technology has changed how we work. Instead of hunting to ensure survival, we now work 60-70 hours per week to facilitate our wants. Food, shelter and warmth are readily available to us, but the latest Ferrari – oh that takes a lot more work. In essence, technology has arranged a life in which our wants are increasingly replacing our needs.
Important needs such as healthy relationships with friends, family and a partner are being slowly eroded with increased use of technology. I’ve fallen victim to the familiar situation of being enchanted by the latest celebrity news on my smartphone screen at the dinner table – the loss of Kim Kardashian’s expensive ring in Bora Bora is, of course, far more important than the conversation about how my brother’s great day was. But as I soon come to realise, time can never be bought, and conversations with my parents and siblings are transient and therefore invaluable.
As with the case of travelling, it is probably much easier to sit in the comfort of my lounge room with the latest episode of David Attenborough’s ‘Meerkats’ on the screen rather than deal with the lost luggage, screaming babies and the unfamiliarity of a different language. Technology has provided the means where our ‘experience’ of life can be arranged with such easy convenience, but is this at the cost of ‘true’ experience which allows for understanding of the rich cultures around us?
Humans are said to have the choice to control our lives, and it’s ironic to think that we have mastered the science of the ‘know-how’ of creating technology which has now come to control us. Perhaps it could explain the rising suicide and depression rates in our nation, where we oft start to make a choice to arrange and control our lives such that we maximise ‘experiencing’ rather than ‘living’.
Questions for you: What are the main ideas presented? What could you do to incorporate your own experiences and personal voice?
Whilst Part A essays can follow a pre-determined structure of three main body paragraphs, they can also be fluid and include your own personal style. Importantly, essays should still incorporate three arguments and each paragraph should have a purpose!
Planning your own essay: What arguments can you present about technology? How has technology affected your way of life (or others) and how could you incorporate this into your writing? This will form your three arguments. Comment them below and let me give you feedback! ⬇️